The two Saint Warriors who followed her out approached the workstation and dragged the screaming, pleading woman toward the door.
"Mr. Malin, the favored one of our Lord, please remember today, you have defined the value of a life, and perhaps you will have such an opportunity again, please remember what you have said today. You are the favored one, with the right to define the lives of others, but do not therefore take life lightly," the elder lady said, looking at Malin as if waiting for his reply.
Malin smiled and nodded, "I will remember the choice I made today, my heart and actions are clear as a mirror, all that I do is justice."
This statement provided the best explanation at this moment.
The elder lady smiled and nodded, then as she turned to leave, she issued a new command: "Today, the workload for all prisoners is reduced by 10 tasks, remember, this is what your fellow prisoner exchanged for with her foolish life."
"Labor earns food, laziness receives punishment," she said.
"Labor earns redemption, work brings a new life," the prisoners responded in unison.
Falor glanced at Malin, the Big-eared Fox looked at Matilda, and the two foxes communicated with their eyes.
Malin clicked his tongue, then looked at the two Big-eared Foxes: "Is there anything else to visit?"
"There are some hardened criminals on the lower level that have not yet been judged, because they are Transcendents, we are afraid they would escape, or their relatives would come to rescue them, so the judicial system of the Capital transferred them to us," Falor explained.
"Does this imply your prison security is very good?" Malin inquired.
"No, we were raided seven times last year and, so far this year, eleven times. We had no prior knowledge of their actions, and as a result, the members of our scouting teams have been reassigned to the Northern front," Falor said, gesturing for Malin to look back. Malin turned around and saw the wall displaying all of the attackers and their friends.
"Our Chief Justice visited once, and when he left, he seemed as if he had lost his soul, perhaps because his brother was among them," Miss Falor said, laughing like a true fox.
Guided by her, Malin saw the one who, sitting in a standing cage, had already turned into a skeleton.
"Right, there’s no smell?" Malin asked, curious.
"The upper-level airflow Array isolates the air above us from below, our Lord saves the weak and is not stingy in showing to the world Justice’s ruthless side against evil," Falor finished, stepped aside and made a gesture of invitation: "Mr. Malin, would you like to go below to have a look?"
"Please lead the way," Malin said, raising his eyebrows.
He was starting to Deity.
The ruthless side of Justice against evil, just as he had said, agreed with Malin.
Everyone must pay the price for their choices.
Following behind the two little foxes, descending the steps, they said it was an underground layer, but it was much different from what Malin had imagined—ample lighting, numerous rooms, and enough space to hang many prisoners.
"Hanging is also a sort of work?" Malin asked.
Falor smiled awkwardly, then turned to a Saint Warrior beside her: "Have these guys been fighting again?"
"Yes, at breakfast time, a new group that came fought with another gang among the prisoners," the Saint Warrior replied helplessly: "They’re all prisoners who have not been judged, we can only hang them up to let them sober up a bit in suspension."
"I think they are quite sober," Malin commented to Matilda at his side.
In his view, the prisoners were neither insolent nor frothing with insults; they seemed exceedingly well-behaved, unlike the upper-level prisoners who would talk back.
"That’s because the ones who weren’t sober have already been dealt with," Miss Falor said, turning her head.
Malin’s hair stood on end—wait a moment, are they playing so rough in the lower levels?
Perhaps noticing Malin’s expression, the little fox explained with an embarrassed laugh, "Typically, these hardened criminals will be imprisoned here for five years, if they are confirmed to have reformed, then when we transfer them to the court, we will issue a certificate of sentence reduction for them. However, any act of violent resistance, we will issue a certificate of added punishment for them, and if the crime is extremely heinous, we will recommend execution by hanging, and the judges often let us handle it on the spot. Sometimes we will execute them directly without the judge’s direction."
"You mean to say..." "Mr. Malin, we didn’t say anything,"
Under the tacit smiles shared between them, Malin and Miss Falor finished this topic.
The Church of Justice earned another point in his esteem; its ruthless display of Justice in the face of evil deeply impressed Malin.
In the time that followed, Malin visited the single-person cells on the lower level, which, although a bit small, had beds, desks, and some books and newspapers.
"I’ve always thought the Capital is too kind to its prisoners," Matilda commented at that moment.
"Dear Matilda, although they are criminals, everyone has the right to choose to start anew," Miss Falor said with a smile, countering the criticism.
"...Alright, but I still think it’s too kind, because our apprentice quarters in Carterburg are about this size," Matilda continued, turning to Malin: "Mr. Malin, won’t you something?"